Prokaryotic expression of vascular endothelial growth factor-C / 华西口腔医学杂志

ABSTRACT

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate whether the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-C cDNA which cloned from a patient with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of tongue can encode a functional protein or not.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>RT-PCR was employed to clone the functional VEGF-C fragment from the surgical specimen of a lingual SCC patient. Then it was subcloned into expressive plasmid vector pBKCMV, which was transfected into E. coli to examine its expression.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>A truncated human VEGF-C cDNA fragment was amplified from the lingual SCC. The sequencing results of the fragment demonstrated that it had 99.6% similarity with the reported human VEGF-C cDNA (representing the 559-1611 bp according the sequence of Genbank Entry X94216). Induced with IPTG, the E. coli XLI-Blue MRF' containing the recombinant pBK-VEGF-C expressed a 56,000 fusion protein, which can be recognized by polyclonic anti-human VEGF-C antibody.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>A functional fragment VEGF-C cDNA was cloned from a lingual SCC. It will promote more intensive research on the function of VEGF-C and its relationship with metastasis of oral SCC.</p>